A creative ecosystem includes every condition within which we create. I developed this metaphor to help me build a healthier creative practice. Each element of a natural ecosystem (sun, water, air, etc.) is matched with a creative counterpart (body, mind, environment, and so on.)

Once I began seeing creativity in this way I couldn’t unsee it.

I also noticed it was quite countercultural. It’s an alternative approach to these two common creative traps.

1. One Size Fits All Advice

Too many creative leaders are trying to pass on their specific creative process as if it will work for anyone. Even my beloved Julia Cameron is guilty of this. The seeds of this idea were sown when I reread The Artist’s Way as a new mum. I knew creativity was an important part of my life and wanted guidance in how to maintain my creative life through new motherhood.

But suddenly, Julia’s advice no longer served me. I was exhausted. I didn’t have the capacity for daily journaling. And it wasn’t what I needed.

What I needed was a nap.

Reaching the end of my rope taught me that caring for my body and my mind is an essential part of the creative process.

I still don’t write or make something every day, and that’s okay. I’ve found a new rhythm that’s working for me. It’s fluid and adaptive and continues to develop over time.

2. Hustle, Hustle, Burnout

For years I’ve been working under the hustle, hustle, burnout template. I would push myself past the edge of my capacity and then crash and burn.

I see a lot of my fellow artists doing the same thing.

There is a growing awareness that we need rest, but it’s often treated like one more thing to squeeze into your to-do list.

What we really need is to rebalance our entire creative process rather than trying to cram in even more to-dos.

Look at the Big Picture

Here’s where your creative ecosystem comes in. When you zoom out and notice how everything interconnects you begin to see how it all serves your creative process.

This perspective can help you make little shifts that honor your own needs instead of following a template set out by someone else. Find your own balance of structure and freedom, input and output, solitude and community, and more. Dig into your purpose and why you’re creating. Create rituals for rest and reflection.

When I saw there was more to art than simply making my own creative ecosystem began to thrive.